Volunteering achievements celebrated at awards ceremony

12 May 2014

The Volunteer of the Year Awards took place in the Whitworth Hall on 8 May, and staff, students and alumni came together to recognise extraordinary volunteering contribution across a diverse range of projects.

The staff winner was Lucy Swinton, who is a Student Support Graduate Intern in the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work. Lucy is a Director and Oltenia Project Co-ordinator for The Life Foundation. In Romania, volunteers work with children and adults in governmental care, all of whom have intellectual or physical disabilities. Lucy recruits, interviews and trains volunteers for the programme and provides ongoing support. 

Alumni winner was Dr Carl Clowes, whose voluntary activity since becoming a general practitioner on the Llŷn peninsula in rural North Wales was recognised. Carl set up a villagers’ association and recognising the need for a more structured approach, Antur Aelhaearn was born as an Industrial and Provident Society – the UK’s first community co-operative.

Thomas Pacey won in the highly competitive student category for his work with Chernobyl Children's Cancer Care Cardiff – a charity that provides funding and volunteers for a summer camp for disabled and terminally ill children in Belarus. Tom has been an enthusiastic and dedicated volunteer, spending time on the camp every year but also organising fundraising events to financially support these activities. 

Giving the keynote address, President and Vice-Chancellor Prof Dame Nancy Rothwell said: “Each year, I’m ever more inspired by the acts of generosity and time freely given by our staff, students and alumni to communities here in the UK and around the world.”